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Donald Trump Tops Poll of GOP Candidates; President Obama to Hold Ethiopia Press Conference; Turkey Calls for NATO Conference; Chilling 911 Calls in Deadly Road Rage Incident. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired July 27, 2015 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00] ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Seems like republican voters disagree. They put him at the top of the pack, 18 percent. You have Jeb Bush behind them at 5 percent and walker third at 10 percent. That shows he is certainly popular and appealing to a segment of republican voters.

His popularity among republicans does not translate to the broad electorate. He has the highest unfavorable numbers at 59 percent of anyone we polled. Even though he has this broad, unfavoribility, among a lot of people, when you talk to republicans, they want to see him stay in the race. He hinted at potentially running as a third party candidate. Whether he runs as a republican or independent, they want him to stay in.

So, we'll be, it sounds like, listening to news of Trump for months to come. One more interesting number here. We know that Donald Trump has been talking a lot about the issue of illegal immigration. It's what he's been focused on and the fiery rhetoric has been centered. If you ask voter what is they think is most important, republicans and democrats name the economy as the most important issue for their vote. You can see illegal immigration is much further down, far behind the economy and health care. A lot of interesting numbers to look at in this poll.

Chris?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: This perception that it's about how people feel about government is enhanced by immigration being relatively low. 10 percent, 11 percent the people from each party feel about that issue. So it's more than one issue. Athena, thank you very much.

Let's bring in Michael Cohen, pecial counsel for Donald Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization. Counsel, good to have you this morning. How is your man, Donald Trump feeling about the numbers and perceptions?

MICHAEL COHEN, EVP TRUMP ORGANIZATION: It's just another poll. Five weeks now, he's leading the polls. Four weeks, he's at number one. He's very satisfied.

CUOMO: He is very satisfied. Not a word we often attach to him. Because he seem to get hungry to get out there and get more. He said something, blew my mind. Let's play this piece of sound how Donald Trump perceives why he's being successful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a movement going on. This isn't me. This is a movement going on. People are tired of these incompetent politicians in Washington, they can't get anything done. They can't make deals, they can't make anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: More than me. Who stole Donald Trump? Who is that guy? Who is that guy on the radio saying, more than me? I thought it was all about him?

COHEN: Well, it's not always all about him. And Donald Trump is -- what he's trying to say is what's missing in Washington is one thing. They don't have deal makers. Donald Trump is probably one of the top deal makers in the history of this country. Everything that he's touched has turned out to virtually be, you know, great for him and for his company. What he's looking to do is to make those great deals for America and make it for the people of America so we can be great again.

CUOMO: I'm not taking a shot at Donald when I say it's more than him. People have written him off as a celebrity, you know what I mean, he's bombastic, he a celebrity that's why people like him. These polls show something different. No, people identify with that he's upset about and his complains about the status quo which is why, they are not just angry at the left, they are angry at the right.

COHEN: That's right. 70 percent of this country are unhappy with the work being done in Washington. We term them as cleptocrats. What they are doing is they are stealing from themselves for the benefit of themselves and their cronies. That's not Trump. And he is not going to allow it and he's sick of it.

CUOMO: So, then you get to the next bar. OK. He's legit. People want to shout him up, the GOP I know that they are still trying to decide whether he should be at debates. That seems to be decided. A huge number of people in recent polls that they want him in the debates. So let's say that happens. If you want to be serious, you have to make the serious measures.

COHEN: Donald Trump is serious.

CUOMO: As articulate day this position, I'm saying, you have to answer immigration. Is it really just going to be about the wall? Tough say what you are going to do in ways for people to buy or sell the proposition. Will he be ready to do that?

COHEN: 100 percent. And not only that, what ends up happening is, again Donald Trump comes in unscripted. He's not going to sit down and he not going to do the crazy debate preparation that through Mitt Romney and to some crazy tizzy. What he's going to do is he's going to speak from his own personal knowledge and from his heart. And he knows what's necessary in order to make the country great. He knows what's needed, he's going to look at the United States of

America as what it really is, a big business. How do we make great deals? How is he going to show he is the greatest deal maker in the history of this country and do it for this country so all Americans benefit. No more Iran deal, which is a disaster for us. No more of the deals with Mexico where Ford goes across and they start building a $2.5 billion plant. These are our jobs, in Mr. Trump's words. They belong to Americans.

CUOMO: But they leave for a reason, right? So the question becomes you cannot just shout at Mexico give us our jobs back. You know, by the way pay me for this wall.

[07:05:00] COHEN: He's not shouting at Mexico, he's shouting at Washington. He's saying to them, I'm not going to allow this. We don't have fair trade. Right. We have free trade right now. He wants to make it fair trade. If you want to bring the products in, you are going to pay a tax. You are going to pay a tax the way they tax us on good that is are coming out.

CUOMO: I'm asking you these questions because you know how anxious we are to have him come on and give his positions. Because people want to take them seriously, they should hear what he has to offer. That's why I'm asking you this.

COHEN: Patty who was on the show two seconds ago, I hope Donald Trump runs against Hillary. Be careful what you wish for. Hillary is beatable. She's got her own questions.

CUOMO: No question, every candidate is beatable. And in fact, Bernie Sanders does better than Donald Trump across the national spectrum when you measure all voters. What does that mean to you?

COHEN: Well, it doesn't mean anything.

CUOMO: Why not?

COHEN: Because there another part to the poll says 52 percent of all the people claim that if their number one choice candidate is not the nominee, Trump is their second. If you take those statistically and add it to the numbers, Donald Trump is way ahead.

CUOMO: You made be dizzy there for a second. So you are saying, if they can't get who they want, Donald is the guy they want next?

COHEN: That's correct.

CUOMO: And then if you add that to the other number he ends up being ahead?

COHEN: That's correct.

CUOMO: I think that's fuzzy math. Michael Cohen, I think you confused me with some math there.

COHEN: Good, it's only 7:00 in the morning.

CUOMO: At the end of the day, he is legit, he is in there and we are going to see if he can be measured and found to be what people want as they move forward. Let me ask you something though, I'm sure, Mike Huckabee comes out. He was desperate for attention. He said it will be tough to find someone who doesn't think it's over about saying pushed Iran right to the door or pushed Israel to the door. You know what he said.

COHEN: I do.

CUOMO: Does Donald Trump think it was wrong and offensive?

COHEN: I don't think so. I think what he's trying to say is we are in a bad place. What we need...

CUOMO: What do you think about he's OK with these words, Israelis to the door of the oven?

COHEN: We have been there. My father is a holocaust survival. There's that old statement, never again. Trump is trying to say, a nuclear Iran is the destruction of this world. We need a strong America. If you have a strong America you have a strong world, if you have a weak America, we're going to have a weak world.

CUOMO: But Trump is OK with say something like that?

COHEN: You know what, I think what he's doing is he's really making the point that what Secretary of State Kerry is doing in trying to push this agenda for Iran, it's a disaster. It is a disaster. I'm not offended by the words. I lost 90 percent of my family at that point. I'm not offended by it. What I am is I'm concerned. I'm truly concerned for the safety of not just this country, but the countries around the world. Iran is a disaster.

CUOMO: Michael Cohen, thank you for your perspective. Appreciate it, as always.

COHEN: Thank you.

CUOMO: Mik.

PEREIRA: All right. President Obama is in Ethiopia this morning. He is holding a joint press conference. It is the first time a sitting U.S. president visited the African nation. We're looking in there live. CNN White House Correspondent Michelle Kosinski is live in Ethiopa with more for us, Michelle.

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORREPONDENT: Hi, Michaela, right. The historic trip while he's , he is the first sitting U.S. president to address the African union. So right now, he's in a press conference with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and they are talking trade and trying to expand that relationship between the U.S. and Ethiopia. This is a fast growing economy. Trying to deepen democracy. This is place, in the last round of elections, the ruling party claims 100 percent of the vote. A place where a number of journalists have been jailed. They are

going to talk human rights and also, of course, countering terror. One day after Al Shah Bab a deadly attack across the border in Somalia and another thing President Obama wants to do while he is here is work with African leaders to try to find a real solution to the violence in the people in South Sudan.

Extremely busy trip, obviously. One that's been energizing for the president. You can see him enjoying himself, giving these speeches to welcoming crowds, rousing addresses with huge cheers, spending time with his family and doing some dancing at a state dinner in Kenya, some jamming there. I don't know if we can call that dad dancing. He was into it. Maybe between a traditional dance and Macarena.

Chris?

CUOMO: How about that. All right. Making the most of his experience. It could be a mix of emotion and a mix of agenda. Thank you very much. We look forward to the President's words.

Also new this morning, Turkey calling a special R conference Tuesday after ISIS launched attacks along the border. With Syria, Turkey also launching against ISIS position in Syria and Iraq over the weekend. Meantime, Turkey reached a deal with the U.S. to allow use of Turkish air bases to fight the terrorist.

[07:10:00] Let's get more from Barbara Starr live with the latest. A big shift. They have been on the sidelines, now the front lines.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Front and center, Chris. Good morning. And what does this mean for the United States? It likely means deeper involvement in all of this. The meeting tomorrow at , the U.S. will be there. Turkey will present itself case that ISIS now poses a threat to Turkey, a member of . Don't work for more U.S. troops at this point or troops at this point. Things are moving rapidly. The U.S. has permission to use the bases in southern Turkey to launch air strikes against Syria and Iraq.

As it progresses, the air strikes create that sort of safe zone, if you will. Not a formal no fly zone. Nobody is going to patrol it 24/7 at this point. By having U.S. wear planes, officials telling us it will create a safe zone. Why is Turkey going in right now? Why are they going full in on this? They are striking Kurdish position. The Turks view them as separatists. The U.S. views them as effective fighters. It's a complex battlefield and delicate balance.

Michaela?

PEREIRA: A delicate balance, indeed Barbara, thank you for that. Back here at home, the coast guard relentlessly searching through the night for two 14-year-old boys missing. The teen's boat was found overturned off the central Florida coast. Nothing of the boys. They are said to be avid fishermen and have their boater's certification. Their families are offering $100,000 reward for their rescue. Later this hour, we will speak live of the mother and step dad of missing teen, Perry Cohen, they'll be joined by their family friend who is assisting in the search and offer to helping that reward, Joe Namath.

CUOMO: All right. This morning, we have the 911 call that is captured the final moments of a Florida man's life. He was gunned down in front of his family after getting into a road rage incident with another driver. This morning, authorities say the entire ordeal could have been avoided if the victim had just listened to the 911 dispatcher.

CNN Correspondent, Nick Valencia is live in Atlanta, with the latest. This is a tough one, but the tapes make all the difference.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. It happened in two and a half minutes. Two men driving down the road with families. Police have an aggressive encounter on the road. Within five miles, one man shoots the other in front of two children. The shooter claims it was self-defense.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

VALENCIA: Disturbing 911 calls reveal both sides of a road rage deadly altercation in Florida that ends in gunfire. On Thursday, 44- year old Candelario Gonzalez was in his truck with his wife, daughter and grandson. His wife calls 911 claiming that 51-year old Robert Doyle was quote, driving like an idiot.

Doyle called 911 too saying Gonzalez was quote, trying to run him off the road. The incident quickly escalates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are following me to my house. The guns are out.

VALENCIA: Doyle tells the dispatcher he has his gun cocked and locked. He says he wants to stop by the house to get Doyle's address. Seconds later, Doyle reaches the driveway and he gets out of the truck.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got a gun. Get somebody here, now.

VALENCIA: He shot Gonzalez as he was backing away. The wife says the 44-year-old was charging toward her husband.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were in our yard. He came after my husband.

VALENCIA: As Gonzalez was laying on the ground. Doyle forced the victim's family out of the car, holding them at gunpoint until police arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Making me get out of the truck with my daughter.

VALENCIA: Doyle is charged with second degree murder and is now out on bond.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VALENCIA (on camera): The sheriff's office tells me that $60,000 bond was posted on Friday. He is now out of jail. We reached out to Doyle and his family, but they have not called back.

Michaela?

PEREIRA: Nick, what a horrifying story, thank you for bringing it to our attention.

[07:15:00] All right. Have you seen this? Bill Cosby, on the cover of New York magazine. 35 of the 46 women coming together to share their stories. You can see the women there seated in rows, the date of the alleged assault written under them. There's an empty 36th chair for others out there. Cosby denied wrong doing. What a powerful image.

CUOMO: It's interesting. I was surprised at how surprised I was. I have been watching our coverage of it here.

PEREIRA: Just numbers.

CUOMO: All together, all at once and getting the cross section of all these women with no reason to know each other with story that is are frightening familiar.

PEREIRA: Too afraid to be public with it. Now, coming out. Here are the numbers. To see those individuals with an individual story, it is powerful.

CUOMO: Remember, we had the attorney here on NEW DAY who made an interesting, if compelling argument to a lot of you, hey, we have a legal process. This never went to that process. Anyway, you should take a look for yourself.

So, coming up, we have been telling you about these boys missing over the weekend in a 19-foot boat, some 70 miles off the Florida coast. They found the boat capsized. They haven't found the boys. We are going to talk about the search. Joe Namath is with them. Stay with us.

[07:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Donald Trump, atop the polls. Now we know why. Let's get Inside Politics on NEW DAY with Mr. John King. The face of discontent, I am Donald Trump. You are Donald Trump.

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Happy Monday morning. You had a go there with a spokesman.

CUOMO: Were you surprised he didn't push back on Huckabee's oven comment?

KING: I was surprised. You are dead right, he's trying to get attention. Did he cross the line? Let's start with the Trump surge. This is the summer of Trump. We are all surprised by it, I think. If you look at the CNN/ORC National poll, he's at 18 percent. In a crowded field of 17 people, 18 percent puts you on top, a huge player in the race. If you look at the top ten, the Fox debate is coming up. Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Marco Rubio and Huckabee. Not making the cut is Rick Perry, Rick Sanatorum, not going to make the cut. What is it, Robert, especially when you talk to the other campaigns, how do they get around Trump?

ROBERT COSTA, THE WASHINGTON POST: Almost every campaign resigned themselves to the fact that before the debate, Trump is likely to be leading the polls. The debate is certainly to be About Trump, how he handles Himself, how people respond to Trump. They are all coming up with Trump strategies. How do you come up with Something for someone without Specifics. They are trying to be careful.

KING: And so can they flush him out on policy? That's a strategy of the other candidates. He used to say he was a democrat, he said Hillary Clinton was great, now she stinks. The NBC polls over the weekend, a close second in Iowa to Scott Walker and ahead in New Hampshire with Jeb Bush and Scott Walker behind him. He is the force at the moment.

NIA MALIKA-HENDERSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Favorable opinion with Trump 50 percent. He's doing quite well. You have to figure out, if you are a republican on that debate stage, not a lot of time there to present your own argument and policy. Do you waste that time going after Trump and risk the ire of Trump. We know how that goes and how he's gone after Scott Walker and John McCain. So I think a lot of folks are surprised, as we are at this table, that he's still around with nowhere to go but up.

COSTA: You made a great point that Trump backed away from some of his comments in recent weeks. He's a bombastic figure. He says you are terrible or this is a disaster. When it comes to immigrants, illegal immigrants, he's toned it down.

KING: When he went to the border, he could have doubled down on rapists. He didn't. He said we need a wall in some places. You might not agree with him, but he did moderate, I don't know if that's the right word. You mentioned unfavorables. Everybody thinks they know Donald Trump because of "The Apprentice" or his real estate business. 50 percent of republicans have a favorable opinion. 42 percent say unfavorable. That's one factor.

Here is the interesting thing. Some of it is about him. Some is about the climate and the fracturing in politics broadly but especially in the republican party. Listen to this, government in Washington represent your views. 46 percent of democrats say the government represents their views. 14 percent of republicans. The republicans control the house. They just won the senate in the midterm election in 2014. A big victory. Republicans should be happy. They are not.

COSTA: There are more than a dozen republicans running to be a leader of a party where it's an unpopular position. Democratic party, republican party, an unpopular place to be. If you look at what Trump is doing, there is a movement of discontent across the country. Can Hillary Clinton, Scott Walker, other candidates seize on this and try to get into the conversation?

KING: He wants to be Bernie, they don't want to be senator or leader. If you are in a position of authority in politics right now.

[07:25:00] HENDERSON: And that's why you see people like Ted Cruz talking about the Washington cartel going after Mitch McConnell being outside of Washington. He's a creature of Washington. People like Walker, one of the reasons he's doing well is he's an outsider. It's interesting to see Sanders and Trump, very different men, different philosophies and didn't bank accounts. One's a rich billionaire and the other a democratic socialist.

KING: Are they summer flings or is this the mood and climate that will carry through. Let's talk about Mike Huckabee. He's likely to be on the debate stage. They don't like the deal the president is trying to put on the nuclear program. The criticism is it leaves Israel at risk, gives Iranians too much and United States too little. Did Governor Huckabee cross the line?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president's foreign policy is the most speckles in American history. He's so naive, he would trust the Iranians and take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: March them to the door of the oven. If you thought sometimes you say things and go, whoa, I went too far. After this, he put a tweet out with an image, saying he's standing by this. Most people are saying whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't joke about Hitler or draw comparisons with the holocaust. Mr. Trump said I get what he's trying to say because the deal is so bad.

HENDERSON: This was despicable and it's terrible. He should apologize. He will not apologize. He's fifth in the polls in Iowa and there's a Trump effect going on with the candidates where they want to say things and double down on them to get attention. When I heard it, I had a visceral reaction because it brings up an imagery, we should only talk about the holocaust when talking about the holocaust. It's not a metaphor.

KING: It's not the first time Huckabee has said things. This one is over the line.

COSTA: A comment like this is indicative of why Huckabee struggled with donors. A lot of activists like him in Iowa and South Carolina. There's a tendency to go to the comments. It's telling the Republican Party, in general, in response to the Iran deal have been challenging each other to see who can be more outlandish in what they say. They are in opposition to. It's about how far can you go to oppose it.

KING: Thanks for coming in on a Monday morning. We are going to watch Hillary Clinton today. She's saying the republicans are denying climate change. We are going to keep an eye on that top ten list with the Republican debate around the corner.

HENDERSON: We talk about how long until the election, but the first debate is right around the corner.

PEREIRA: It will change a lot. It will. Thank you so much. We turn to another story of great concern. Two young boys lost at sea. Rescue crews are searching overnight. They are desperate to find them. The parents of one of the boys going to speak live to us on NEW DAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)